Escaped con who taunted cops on Facebook finally collared

Burglar turned blogger gets banged up

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UK police have caught up with an escaped con who ran a "fan group" on Facebook during his time on the run.

Craig “Lazie” Lynch, 28, was arrested in Kent on Wednesday almost four months after doing a runner from a Hollesley Bay open prison, in Suffolk. He passed the intervening time with a trip to London to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks display among other activities, chronicled in regular updates to Facebook.

Lynch was serving the back end of a seven year sentence for aggravated burglary at the time he absconded from custody. The con's original Facebook page was shut down at the request of police, but he returned in the New Year with a new group. He used it to upload pictures of himself enjoying a traditional Christmas dinner, and posted insults towards the police that he may now have cause to regret. It's unclear whether or not his posts helped the police hunting Lynch.

Hours after his arrest, Lynch appeared at Bexleyheath Magistrates' Court charged with escaping from lawful custody, The Timesreports.

Meanwhile, Facebook recently deleted comments from the second of the two groups established by Lynch, which boasted 1,600 fans. A handful of other groups established by both detractors and supporters of the burglar turned blogger have sprung up since his arrest. ®